The cellphone incident at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has traveled around the classical music world. Last week, the New York Times interviewed Anne-Sophie Mutter for an article about cellphones interrupting live performances, both music and theater.
Apparently the young woman who was recording her entire performance from the front row-center seat of Music Hall was using two smartphones and a power bank.
From the NY Times: “Ms. Mutter, the German violinist who stopped mid-concerto, said she was in favor of sealing phones at concerts. In her first interview about the Cincinnati incident, Ms. Mutter said that she had grown distracted as she played the first movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto because a woman in the first row was holding up her phone and filming her. After Ms. Mutter shot her stern looks, she said, the woman put down her phone.
“The first movement is over, and I’m trying to concentrate and stay calm,” Ms. Mutter recalled. “Then she takes out a second phone, and a power bank. I continued the second movement, but it’s already boiling in me. I’m totally out of the flow.
“I feel violated in my rights, of my artistic property,” she told the Times, noting that unauthorized filming is illegal. “As an artist you take such care when doing a recording — that you have your own sound engineer, that the mics are hung in the right spots. The sound is a part of you, you want your voice replicated in a way that really represents what you have worked on for an entire life.” … ”
An entire lifetime — that is exactly what I wrote in a column that will appear in print in Friday’s edition of the Cincinnati Business Courier.
And here’s a note from the editor, Rob Daumeyer, about it.
I must point out that the violinist was gracious enough to start the movement over. In addition, she played an encore and went to the lobby at intermission to greet and give autographs to a long line of fans.
Others have weighed in, as well.
Violinist.com ran two articles on the topic: What policies should orchestras have about cellphones?
and here, where there are questions as to whether the young woman should have been escorted out, and who was really at fault here. (Read the comments.)
Musical America has an account of the incident, “Anne-Sophie Mutter confronts a pirate” — and a followup, asking whether classical music is too elitist — and the answer from the Twitterverse appears to be yes. (You may not be able to read these without a subscription.)
It’s been quite a topic of discussion among the comments on the Slipped Disc blog. Norman Lebrecht takes Mutter to task for “shouting” at the audience member. Or, was it just a “PR coup” for Mutter?
And the Cincinnati Enquirer jumped in, too.
And, not related to this concert, the Chicago Tribune had an article this month about cellphone disruption in theaters.
What’s your take on all of this?
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Ms. Mutter is absolutely correct . A concert, whether classical, jazz, R and B et cet is a unique experience shared by artist an audience alike. It is ephemeral and of the moment. At its best a live concert is a magical shared experience that will be transformative in the moment.
For an audience member to record the concert right in front of the artist is not only an a front to the artist but to the rest of the audience and recorder herself. If you are busy recording you are not fully engaged with artist and audience . This is not elitist, this is about the ephemeral, the transient magic of a shared experience in the moment. If you loved the experience, you are likely to find a cd, or a recording on Spotify et cet.
So relish the moment,
Rod McFaull
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I am personal manager for Krista Solars, an exceptional young violinist (which is odd as I’m a guitarist/producer) and we have discussed this very issue. I understand the desire of fans to record snippets and document their experience at concerts and other events. It has become the social norm and we all see it again and again. To see an ordinance or regulation banning this practice would be a draconian act because of the acts of a few. The obvious disrespect and disregard of Ms. Mutter and the policy of the Symphony Association shows that the young woman is beyond the norms of common courtesy usually displayed by the types of people who attend. The type of person that does these things deserves to be removed loudly and visibly from events to discourage this behavior. It needs to be reinforced that it is not tolerated and is both distracting to the artist and is theft of their work. This person would be highly upset if anyone stole her phones, and the theft from Ms. Mutter is no different. However, I don’t believe a ban on cells is the answer. We have become too courteous as a group to the rudeness and bullying by others in situations like this. I regret not attending, I do not put up with this sort of thing as an artist or a spectator and I don’t believe anyone else should either.
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Listening to a performance of classical music by a great artist that you have paid a large sum of money to hear should be a deeply personal experience. The listener must respect the artist, the orchestra and fellow concert goers. Cell phones should be turned off and in ones pocket or purse. Attending a rock concert is a different experience and I defer to the artists involved as to what is de rigueur.
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I feel Ms Mutter was correct. The woman was insensitive and inappropriately used her phones.
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